Trinity Sport recently provided cardiac screening for sport scholarship athletes; reinforcing our ongoing commitment to athlete health, safety and wellbeing.
The cardiac screening programme for sport scholars, was first introduced in Trinity in November 2024 when 45 sport scholarship athletes were screening and another 45 scholarship athletes were screened in November 2025. All sport scholarship recipients were provided with the option of availing of the service.
Speaking about the programme, Lisa Cafferky, Student Sport Pathway Manager, said: “At Trinity Sport we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our scholarship athletes as part of our holistic support programme. Cardiac screening is a quick and effective way of identifying heart conditions that may affect athletes, even when symptoms aren't immediately apparent. We are delighted to provide this important initiative for all of our scholars.”
Hazel Finn (Irish Senior & Trinity Meteors basketball player), one of the 45 sports scholars who received cardiac screened in 2025, said: "It's a great thing to be involved in, especially for yourself, especially for me playing a high-performance game nearly every weekend where my heart rate is getting up to a high level. It's great to get a look in my heart and to see if everything is okay and it’s great that Trinity Sport are providing this to all scholars."
Sports scholar Hazel Finn (basketball) receives cardiac screening in November 2025.
About cardiac screening
Andrew Thompson, Clinic Manager for Advanced Medical Services who conduct the cardiac screenings at Trinity, explained the two-stage process, "One is with our cardiac nurse who does an ECG, assessing the electrical activity and then the rhythm of the heart. In stage two, our doctor does the physical exam and then conducts a personal and family health questionnaire which is helpful in identifying who could be a more risk of cardiac issues."
Cardiac screening can help identify underlying heart conditions associated with Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). In Ireland, up to 100 young people die each year from SADS with around 1 in 300 people believed to have an underlying cardiac abnormality. The incidence of SADS is reported to be higher in Ireland than in many other European countries.
The screening service delivered through Trinity Sport follows the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Evidence from international sport highlights the value of early screening with mandatory cardiac screening in Italy leading to an 89% reduction in the incidence of SADS among competitive athletes.